Intellectual Property: How Medtech Startups Can Protect It

All companies begin with an idea. The details of protecting intellectual property, however, can be daunting, especially if your idea is in the field of medical technology.

Starting a medical device company requires a vast array of knowledge, including knowledge about almost every type of technology, an immense amount of regulatory requirements and intellectual property protection strategies.

So how can you establish a legal framework that fulfills the promise of an advance in medical technology while rewarding you for your contribution to society?

Medical devices and methods of treatment that employ them are protectable as intellectual property. The most advantageous type of intellectual property will depend on the exact nature of the technology, such as whether it is reverse-engineerable by competitors, as in some compositions or methods of manufacture. Perhaps protection of the medical technology is needed only for the form of expression of the idea, as in a medical instruction manual or kit. In any case, it is imperative before any action is taken by the individual or a group that at least initial steps are taken to protect their work.

All companies begin with an idea. The details of protecting intellectual property, however, can be daunting, especially if your idea is in the field of medical technology.

Starting a medical device company requires a vast array of knowledge, including knowledge about almost every type of technology, an immense amount of regulatory requirements and intellectual property protection strategies.

So how can you establish a legal framework that fulfills the promise of an advance in medical technology while rewarding you for your contribution to society?

Medical devices and methods of treatment that employ them are protectable as intellectual property. The most advantageous type of intellectual property will depend on the exact nature of the technology, such as whether it is reverse-engineerable by competitors, as in some compositions or methods of manufacture. Perhaps protection of the medical technology is needed only for the form of expression of the idea, as in a medical instruction manual or kit. In any case, it is imperative before any action is taken by the individual or a group that at least initial steps are taken to protect their work.